Cover art for 1985: Deadly Northern Lights

1985: Deadly Northern Lights

2020 · BGG
Avg rating
9.17
Bayes rating
5.57
Weight
4.56 (Heavy)
Players
2-4
Playtime
83 hr 20 min
Ratings count
56

Log in or make an account to save this game to your lists.

Description


"The waters of the Barents Sea are constantly violated by nuclear armed US submarines and carriers.
Nordic Countries must realize that their tacit consent plunges them into the strategic balance between United States and the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics."

Public Declaration of State Committee on the State of Emergency in the U.S.S.R.
Moscow July 24, 1985


"1985: Deadly Northern Lights" covers the Warsaw Pact offensive against the Nordic countries during the dramatic events of World War Three. Norway, Sweden, Finland and insular Denmark are in the cross-hair, facing the full might of Northern Fleet, Baltic Fleet and two Soviet Military Districts.

Both sides have only a fraction of the ground forces available in the Central European Front and must overcome the problems dictated by scarce lines of communication and by the harsh environment.

Every aspect of a modern aero-naval campaign is covered: naval and air combat, electronic warfare, nuclear and chemical weapons, special forces, standoff strikes, supply convoys, coastal defenses, mine warfare, amphibious invasions, and more.

				
				
					Game Components
 3 98x65cm maps and 2 smaller maps, depicting Scandinavia and surrounding areas.
 1700 counters, representing NATO, Warsaw Pact, Sweden and Finland forces
 45 pages Rules booklet
 40 pages Scenarios / Designer’s Notes booklet
 2 Tables booklets
 8 Player’s Aid Charts
 2 20-sided dice


				
				
					Game Highlights
 Playable stand-alone or in combination with 1985:Under an Iron Sky
 Order of Battle and TO&E are not “generic”, but set exactly in July, 1985
 14km per hex, 48 hours per game turn
 Division / Brigade / Battalion sized ground combat units
 Special Forces, Airmobile, Paratroops, Electronic Warfare, Artillery, SSM, SAM and Air Defense Artillery units
 Squadron sized Air and Helicopter units
 Extensive air war rules covering Escort, Intercept, SEAD, Wild Weasel, Ground Strike and more
 Surface Ships and Submarines, from single flag ships to groups of fast patrol missile boats
 Realistic but flowing naval rules. Everyone here remembers the horror of TNW’s 12-turns naval phase
 Specific operational tactics like Active Defense and Single-Echelon Assaults
 Variable reinforcements, depending by Players’ decisions and external events
 Five different scenarios of increasing complexity:
 The Gates of Fire: The initial Soviet offensive in Northern Norway
 The Baltic Will Tell: Warsaw Pact's surprise assault against Stockholm
 Against a Sea of Troubles: Soviet amphibious invasion of Denmark
 Black Become the Sun's Beams: Warsaw Pact's aeronaval assault on Norway
 Nordic Balance: The full World War Three Arctic Campaign
 
 Playable stand-alone or in combination with 1985:Under an Iron Sky and 1985:Sacred Oil


—description from the publisher



Mechanics

Dice Rolling Grid Movement Hexagon Grid Movement Points Ratio / Combat Results Table Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game Simulation Variable Set-up Zone of Control

Themes

Aviation / Flight Modern Warfare Nautical Theme Alternate History

Publishers

Thin Red Line Games

Designers

Fabrizio Vianello